A 20-year-old senior cat was surrendered to the Spotsylvania Animal Shelter in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for being “too old.” Although he was old and deaf, he didn’t have any other health issues and was still doing very well.
The sweet white cat named Rascal was confused and lost when being taken to the shelter. On his intake paperwork, the family wrote they were surrendering him for “being old and having accidents in the house.”
The shelter workers were shocked when they met Rascal for the first time, and they knew they had to help him find a new forever home as quickly as possible. They posted a video of sweet Rascal on their Facebook page, and it quickly went viral.
“Someone out there has got to take pity on me,” ‘Rascal’ said in the video. “I’m a very sweet boy, I’m deaf so I don’t really listen well…again, I’m 20, stuck in a shelter, please someone come break me out of here.”
Amazingly, miracles do happen, and Rascal only ends up spending one night in the shelter. A big-hearted woman named Meredith decided to adopt Rascal and take him home. Finally, the sweet cat found someone he’d been waiting for.
“I was scrolling last night and saw him. He just pulled on the right number of heartstrings. I just couldn’t stand thinking about him spending another night in a shelter,” she said.
Although Rascal was a bit shy at first, he quickly settled into life in his new home. He liked hanging out with Meredith’s other cats and loved napping in his mom’s lap or on the couch next to her.
Unfortunately, Rascal passed away and was laid to rest in June 2018 from cancer. Meredith shared a touching post about her beloved cat on her Facebook page.
“These last months, he surpassed many odds and found his way into my family’s hearts,” Meredith wrote. “There will never be another cat quite like him. He has left a huge hole in our hearts, even though he has only been with us for a short time.”
Even though Rascal had gone forever, we took solace in the fact that he found a wonderful home and spent his final days in the love that he deserved. If you want to see more photos of Rascal and Meredith’s other cats, you can visit Rascal’s Facebook page.
Please share this story with your friends and family to raise awareness about the importance of helping senior cats.